What Fear Can Do
by Waterwitch222
Summary: Buster was starting to worry. Johnny's been very unfocused as of late and was starting to rush out of rehearsal earlier and earlier without so much as a reason why. Buster could tell that Johnny was committed, but he couldn't help but feel there was more going on than he originally thought. He never would've thought that he was right...especially with what was REALLY going on.
1. What Fear Can Do

"Alright everyone! That was...better than yesterday! Everyone go and get a good night's re-"

"BYE GUYS! LATER MR. MOON! GOTTA GO SEE YA!"

Buster barely managed to catch himself as Johnny ran past everyone, trying to pull his coat on while running.

Buster watched with a raised eyebrow as the doors closed, signaling Johnny's leave.

Ash shook her head slightly as she closed her guitar case.

"Man...what IS IT with that guy? Always in a rush." she commented as she began to walk out with the others.

Buster could only shrug.

"Couldn't tell ya..."

* * *

 **Later That Night**

"Hmm...alright...let's see...if I can just grab a loaf of bread and some peanut butter...that should last me the rest of the week..." Buster muttered to himself as he walked, looking at a VERY short grocery list as he did.

Suddenly though, the roar of a car reached his ears, the momentum of the speeding vehicle causing the list to fly out of his hands.

"Oh crud!"

Buster sped to a run as he tried to catch his list. He didn't even focus enough to stop himself from crashing into a fence.

Buster groaned slightly as he rubbed his nose, the pain fading only slightly.

"Who put the FENCE there?"

One look up was all that was needed to get his answer.

On the other side of the fence was what looked like an abandoned mechanic's garage, but the windows were lit up, showing that there were inhabitants inside. The concrete ground of the property was shown to have barrels and speed bumps placed carefully about, almost like a driving course. That could very well be true, because soon the roar of a speeding car returned, and Buster was finally able to identify the source. It was a black car. Enough to fit about four people. The windows were up and the driver inside was turning corners so quickly Buster was afraid they were going to crash.

"What the heck is going on?" he muttered to himself.

"AND TIME!"

The car screeched to a stop next to a large gorilla that Buster hadn't noticed before. This guy was large and muscular and was holding a stopwatch. Yet despite Buster never seeing this guy before, the fur color and accented voice was familiar...almost like...

"How was that dad?"

Buster's heart stopped when he heard that familiar voice, his eyes focusing on the car as the driver's window went down, revealing Johnny behind the wheel wearing a bored expression.

"J-Johnny?"

Buster couldn't contain his shock as Johnny spoke to his father, the exchange surprising the koala immensely. He couldn't hear everything, but from what it looked like, Johnny was getting driving lessons from his father...and the father wasn't happy with them for some reason.

Buster couldn't help but feel confused when Johnny rolled his eyes with a silent angry huff before speeding off again. He had NEVER seen that boy look so annoyed. And with how fast he was going...

Buster couldn't help but fall backward slightly when the car swerved close to the fence, Johnny surprisingly not noticing.

Random comments from Johnny began to reach Buster's ears.

"Be gentle on the SWERVES Johnny! Go hard on the CORNERS Johnny! YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG JOHNNY! YOU'RE PERFORMANCE IS BAD JO-"

Buster and Johnny both screamed when Johnny began speeding straight for his father. Buster covered his eyes instantly, bracing himself for the impact...but it never came.

He opened his eyes to see Johnny breathing heavily while he held the wheel tightly, his hands shaking while his father seemed to praise him for that display.

As Johnny and his dad began walking back into the garage, Buster finally allowed himself to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, picking up his list as he did. But even as he walked away from the fence, the shocked expression never left his face.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

Buster was hoping to ask Johnny directly about what happened the night before, but what he didn't expect was Johnny rushing down the stairs, a confused Miss. Crolly at the top.

"Oh! Johnny! Good! I was just about to ask you abou-"

Johnny rushed past Buster with a panicked look.

"CAN IT WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW?! I HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!"

Buster's eyes widened.

"W-W-Wait...what you mean you have to leave NOW?" Buster asked as he watched Johnny get off the stairs.

Johnny sighed and turned around.

"I know I know I'm sorry. See I've got this family business-"

Buster turned to him with a worried expression.

"Do I need to start worrying about your commitment Johnny? Tell me no!"

Johnny answered instantly, a tone of honesty and responsibility in his voice that Buster wasn't expecting.

"No. Absolutely not! I promise it won't happen again!"

Buster breathed out, the worried look not leaving.

"It better not Johnny."

"THANKS MR. MOON!

As Johnny ran off, Buster couldn't help but gulp slightly.

That was twice in one week. And with what he saw the other night...Buster was starting to worry.

* * *

 **Next Week**

It had been a week and just as Johnny promised, he didn't leaving rehearsal early once. Just leaving at the end in a rush on occasion. Buster finally allowed himself to relax a bit. Maybe he was worrying over nothing. Maybe what he saw was just a driving lesson and there was nothing connecting that to Johnny's early self-dismissals at all.

...he just wished he could say the same for Johnny's piano playing.

As soon as the song ended, Johnny couldn't wipe the disappointed expression off of his face.

Buster sighed before speaking.

"Johnny, I KNOW I'm asking a lot but-"

Johnny cut in instantly, nothing but grief and self-doubt in his voice.

"I know I know! I'm REALLY trying I promise!"

Johnny thought a moment as he looked at some papers in front of him.

"Hmm...what about your backup song? Have you practiced that?"

Johnny gulped and looked at his watch.

"Um...well yeah..."

Buster smiled.

"Well then how about we go back and work on that okay? Look...if you played like that in front of Nana Noodleman well-"

Johnny stopped as soon as he realized that Johnny was no longer on the stage.

The worried look he thought he had been rid began to return full force.

"Johnny? JOHNNY?!"

"He left? Already?" Miss. Crolly asked, concern in her voice.

Buster nodded slowly as he began to get up.

"Okay...okay! Um...EVERYONE! CAN YOU COME ON STAGE PLEASE?!"

As the singers still at the theater walked out, Buster walked up to them, not bothering to hide the worried expression on his face.

"Alright...I know this may sound bad but TRUST me it isn't...but have any of you seen Johnny? Did he go backstage at all? Or go upstairs to his practice room?"

Meena's eyes widened slightly.

"Um...no actually. I think he left through the back door." she answered.

Ash looked up in concern.

"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked.

Buster gulped.

"Nope! Nothing's wrong!" he said.

 _"At least I hope not..."_

Buster pushed the thought out of his mind before speaking again.

"Alright...how about everyone goes home for the day? We can take a moment to recompose ourselves, practice a bit, and we'll be here early tomorrow morning to do one final run through before Nana shows up. I'll find Johnny and let him know."

With those words, Buster turned and ran out of the doors of the theater...much to the confusion of everyone else.

* * *

 **Outside**

Buster urged himself to run faster, his eyes searching for Johnny up and down the streets in panic. He would've taken his bike, but apparently there was a car accident blocking the main road, so he just found it faster to search on foot.

"Johnny?! JOHNNY?!"

Buster stopped when he heard the familiar roar of a car in the distance as brakes squeaked.

"Johnny?"

Buster ran toward the direction of the sound, soon slowing to a walk when he heard a voice in an ally.

"Woa woa woa! Slow down Barry! Alright...what happened? Did you guys make it out? *gasp* YOU GOT CAUGHT?!...you're WHAT?! ...WHEN?! ...AN HOUR AGO?! ...WHY DIDN'T YA-...*sighs* yeah...yeah I know...I'll...I'll be there in a few..."

With a heavy sigh, Johnny hung up his phone and began driving again, not noticing Buster running after him, the panic on his face becoming more and more visible.

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later**

Buster could tell that his breath was shot completely, but he was grateful that he was able to keep Johnny in his sights. Sadly though, his worried thoughts were becoming a reality. He watched as Johnny pulled up in front of the city prison and got out, a somber look on his face.

As soon as the front doors closed behind him, Buster made his move. He rushed as fast as he could through the doors after him, managing to sneak through a crowd of officers as he followed Johnny, hiding behind a potted plant when Johnny stopped at reception.

"Can I help you dear?" the receptionist asked.

Johnny nodded.

"Here to visit...Roscoe Black?"

"Family or friend?"

Johnny sighed.

"Family..."

The receptionist nodded to an officer as the officer walked up.

"Take this young man to the visiting room. Booth Six. You got ten minutes."

"Thank you miss..."

Buster began following as soon as the officer began leading Johnny down the hall, his small size making it possible to do so undetected.

As he squeezed through the door of the visiting room, his eyes instantly went to Booth Six, Johnny already talking to "Roscoe Black" on the other side.

"Where were ya?" Roscoe asked, his voice dripping with venom.

Johnny gulped.

"Well um...thing is I-I went to get gas...and uh..."

Roscoe slammed the table.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

It took all of Buster's will power not to scream out in fright, and he could see Johnny's posture tense slightly as well.

Johnny looked down before answering.

"I uh...I was at a rehearsal..."

Roscoe's eyes widened.

"Rehearsal? For WHAT?!"

Johnny sighed.

"I was at the singing contest..."

Roscoe's eyes widened as he looked his son over in shock.

"Look dad I-I'm sorry! I don't want to be in your gang...I wanna be a singer..."

Buster felt his face soften slightly at the sound of Johnny's voice. It sounded so small...and scared, nothing like what he'd expect from the tall teen.

"A...singer?"

Johnny instantly tried to calm his father.

"Look dad no! It's okay! I can get the bail money! There's a prize! For 100,000 dolla-"

A slam from Roscoe silenced Johnny's rambling, as well as everyone else in the room.

Roscoe glared at his son as he brought the phone back to his ear.

"How did I end up with a son like you eh?"

Buster felt like his very soul was being ripped to pieces at the sight of Johnny's face reflecting off of the glass. Johnny had never looked so defeated. Not even when he messed up that song in rehearsal. It looked like the kid had just gotten punched in the gut.

"You're nothing like me. You never were, and you never will be!"

As Roscoe began to leave, Johnny began screaming to him, trying desperately to make him come back.

"I'LL GET YOU OUT! DAD! I'LL GET THE MONEY I PROMISE! DAD!"

Buster looked down in despair as Johnny screamed for his father, knowing that this kid was counting on getting that money to get his father back. Money that didn't exist.

"HEY!"

Buster's eyes widened when an officer grabbed him by the suit jacket.

"You're not supposed to be here! GET OUT!"

Buster didn't even feel the concrete as he was thrown back out into the streets.

He had already felt enough pain in those few moments to last a lifetime.

* * *

 **That Night**

Johnny tried to be as quiet as possible as he pushed the window open, climbing into Buster's office without making a sound. With a quick look around, he assured himself that nobody was in the room with him.

He quickly went to Buster's desk. The chest of money was sitting there un guarded. Perfect for the taking!

Johnny wrapped his arms around it as he lifted it up, but as he turned to leave with it, his audition application caught his eye. He slowly lifted his mask as he read the comments Buster had written. Of how amazing his voice was. How in control his breathing and range was. How...he had a lot of potential. He was so shocked at what he was reading, he didn't even realize there was now someone else in the room with him.

"Johnny?"

Johnny jumped with a yelp before turning toward the door, Buster seen to be in the doorframe wearing a shocked expression.

"M-M-M-Mr. Moon?!" Johnny managed to gasp, dropping the chest on the desk in shock.

"Johnny...what are you doing?" Buster asked, though it was clear in his voice that he already knew the answer.

Johnny stuttered slightly as he removed his mask completely.

"O-OH! I...um...I wasn't doing anything! Everything's fine! I-I-I wasn't...um..."

Johnny silenced himself instantly when Buster motioned for him to stop. Buster hopped up onto his desk and seated himself on the surface, looking up at Johnny with a blank look.

"Johnny...why were you trying to steal the chest?"

Johnny felt sweat build up.

"Mr. Moon I assure you I wasn't!" Johnny said instantly, a slight squeak at the end of his sentence.

"Johnny PLEASE don't lie to me! I saw you! Now, I don't want this to get worse than it is so can you PLEASE explain to me why? Why you'd sneak into my office late at night? Why you were trying to steal the prize EVERYONE is working so hard to get? Why you've been lying about where you disappear to? Why you didn't tell your dad about you coming here every day?"

Johnny's eyes widened.

"H-How did you-?!"

"I've been worried SICK about you! And TODAY terrified me to the point of running halfway across the city looking for you! Johnny...kid...I thought for a moment that it was gonna be YOU behind bars today! Not your dad! With you always leaving and that driving thing I saw you doing with your dad last week...I...I didn't know what to think!"

Johnny's eyes widened.

"Y-Y-You saw that?!"

Buster nodded before continuing.

"I'm going to ask you again Johnny...why are you trying to steal the chest?"

Johnny backed up slightly, his voice shaking slightly.

"Mr. Moon I...I didn't mean to-"

"Why are you trying to take away everything you and the others have been working for?"

"M-Mr. Moon I REALLY don't wan-"

"You have so much POTENTIAL Johnny! You have one of the most beautiful voices I've heard in a long time!"

"Mr. Moon please..."

Johnny could feel himself starting to lose control of his emotions, and he REALLY wanted Buster to stop asking him the questions he's been asking himself for so long.

"You are capable of making a new life for yourself AND your family! Why would you throw it all away?!"

"Mr. Moon..."

"Why would you stoop down to this level?! I thought you didn't want to be like your father!"

"M-M-Mr. M-Moon..."

"Why would you DO this to yourself Johnny?!"

"BECAUSE I'M A BLOODY COWARD!"

Buster's eyes widened.

Johnny's own eyes widened too. He had NEVER yelled at anyone before. Not even his dad...even when he wanted to. But with that outburst, the last bit of energy he had to keep his emotions in check was gone. He felt tears go down his face and a strangled gasp escape as his head dropped into his own hands.

Buster watched in shock as Johnny broke down in front of him, the teen dropping to his knees as the tears flowed freely.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry Mr. Moon. I never wanted any of this to happen! I couldn't stop it! I-I-I didn't know! I thought I could do it! I-I-I thought if I was careful... if I made sure that I...oh god...it's my fault...i-i-it's all my fault..."

Buster jumped down from the desk instantly, his original fear replaced with nothing but worry.

"No no no no no...don't SAY that! None of this was your fault!"

"YES IT WAS! I-I-I should've told him to stop! To give up on all this! To find a real job! I should've done SOMETHING! But instead I ran away from it all like a COWARD! I let him throw his life away over a STUPID attempt to forget about mom and LOOK WHERE IT GOT US?! My dad's in jail! He's completely disowned me and here I was about to ROB SOMEONE! ALL OF THIS BECAUSE I WAS TOO SCARED TO DO ANYTHING! I-"

Buster wrapped his arms around Johnny instantly, Johnny's eyes widening in shock.

"Johnny...please calm down...you're going to hurt yourself this way. Now...look at me..."

Johnny took a few shaky breaths before looking at Buster, his tears hiding the surprise he had over the calm expression on Buster's face.

"Now...We can work this out, I KNOW we can...but only if you let me help you...do you think you can do that? You don't HAVE to do this alone anymore."

Johnny sniffed slightly.

"I...I..."

Buster looked him into the eye with a serious look.

"Johnny...do you want to completely lose yourself like your dad did?"

Johnny shook his head as more tears fell.

"N-No..."

Buster nodded.

"That's what I thought. Now..why don't you tell me what happened. From the beginning."

Johnny sighed and nodded, his breath calming only slightly.

"O-Okay..."

Buster let go of him as Johnny began to speak.

"When I was a kid...my mom walked out on us. Didn't say why...didn't even say goodbye. She just...left. It tore my dad apart. He went from being my hero...to a complete stranger. He was depressed for the longest time...and...when my uncles stepped in to try and help...he dragged them into horrible attempts to just ESCAPE the pain! And when I was older...he dragged ME into it too. Says he doesn't want me to go through what he did. I became so scared for him to the point where it makes it hard to breathe sometimes. I developed anxiety over these robberies. Over what will happen out there? What my dad's doing? Over the dangerous stunts he pulls? It became too much after awhile. I-I saw no way out of it! I-I just wanted my dad back! The way he used to be before all this started! Music became my go-to method of escape. To forget about all of it for awhile...because I could never bring myself to tell him what he was doing was wrong. I thought that this competition could help me feel like...I was actually GOOD for something...that I wasn't a complete failure...but that ended up being what made me lose him in the end..."

Buster felt tears of his own well up as he hugged Johnny again, Johnny soon hugging back as he sniffed, tears rolling down his cheeks once more.

"Johnny...words cannot express how deeply sorry I am...if I had known I...I'm the one who should be apologizing. A kid like you shouldn't have to go through this. I...I understand if...if you don't want to do this anymore. If...you want to quit."

Johnny looked up.

"What?"

Buster looked back.

"Your family should always come first Johnny...so if doing this competition is too much for you...I understand."

Johnny thought a moment before wiping his tears.

"No...no I'm not doing that."

Buster's eyes widened.

"Johnny..."

Johnny gave a weak smile.

"This competition may have made me lose my dad...but it's still been one of the best choices I ever made. I've learned more in the past week than I've learned in a lifetime. And even if I don't win...I STILL have a chance to get my dad out if I work hard enough. Because you're right Mr. Moon. Family DOES come first. And this theater...and everyone in it...is my second home and family. And if putting my all here can help me make my real family whole again...then I won't give up."

Buster couldn't help but smile.

"I'm...really glad to hear that Johnny. I'm...still sorry for...going behind your back like I did."

Johnny sighed with a breezy laugh.

"You were looking out for me. I wasn't so SOMEONE may as well do it. Thank you Mr. Moon...for listening...and worrying about me...nobody's done that for me in a long time. I promise...I'll do my best for you...and for this theater."

Buster smiled.

"I know you will."

Johnny stood up and dusted off his jacket.

"You...think I can stick around a bit to practice?"

Buster nodded.

"Of course. I'm sure Miss. Crolly would be more than happy to help you if you need it."

Johnny grinned.

"Thank you Mr. Moon...for...everything."

With that, Buster watched as Johnny went to find Miss. Crolly, a smile coming to his own face.

Despite everything that had happened...Johnny was keeping his promise. Just as Buster had hoped he would.

Buster wiped the last of his tears before rushing out of the room.

It was about time he got to work to keep his own promise.


	2. Important Announcement!

Hello all! I know this chapter may be a bit confusing, but I assure you it's nothing too serious! Something that some of you may not know about me is that I didn't get my start at writing here on . I started on another writing website called Wattpad. It has always been my go-to website for writing and is honestly easier for me to update and keep up with. Every story I've ever written is always put there first, and It's getting difficult to try and manage two accounts for the same stories. So to save myself the extra trouble, I'm just going to keep updating my stories on Wattpad and use this account for reading and communicating with people on . Feel free to follow the link below and on my bio to my Wattpad account to keep reading my stories! Otherwise...see you on the other side!

~Waterwitch

Wattpad account- user/waterwitch222


End file.
